Faith

Every Sunday after Mass, Fr. Lasantha Fonseka from the Diocese of Galle in Sri Lanka, teaches catechism class to the children of his parish.

Propagation of the Faith

Friday, August 7, 2026Faith

Please welcome Joan Ryan Lamar, who joins us in telling the stories of the growing mission Church. -- Maureen Crowley Heil

Jesus often likened the kingdom of heaven to something small, or something hidden -- a buried treasure, a bit of leaven, a pearl, a mustard seed. Hiddenness is how Father Lasantha Fonseka, a priest from the Diocese of Galle in Sri Lanka, describes the "plantation people" whom he serves. They are a people on the margins and, in many ways, a forgotten people. "Nobody knows about their lives," said Father Lasantha. "So many people travel to surf the beaches of southern Sri Lanka or visit the UNESCO site of the Galle Fort, but they don't know about the people who live and work the plantations in the nearby countryside." However, as is often the case with the mysteries of God, there is a veiled nature to how and where God works. Some might say it is here in the lives of these hidden people that the kingdom of God is found.

In his parish of 80 families, Father Lasantha serves the people who live on five plantations. They produce tea, palm oil, or rubber. Even for a poor country, they are a particularly impoverished group -- mostly Tamil people -- who live communally in "line houses" owned by the plantation. Seven families share living arrangements in these primitive structures; each family is given one room for living, sleeping, and cooking.

Father Lasantha's parish collection is only ten dollars a week, and, as is the case with most priests in mission dioceses, he has no salary. So, Father helps meet his parishioners' needs, primarily with the support of the Pontifical Mission Societies. He visits the plantations every week, walking up mountain paths to where the people live -- calling on them, teaching them, and showing them that by the presence of a Catholic priest, God has not forgotten them.

"As a church, we try to give them some hope," he said. Every Sunday, Father has catechism classes for the children and invites all the families from the plantations to come to the parish. After he has fed them with the word of God and the Eucharist, he gives them a good meal (he feeds 100 people every Sunday).

Father Lasantha helps families with school supplies, scholarships, travel, and medicine. Whatever the need, he tries to help. He obviously cannot rely on the weekly collection to meet the very real needs he is confronted with in his work with the people on the plantation. "As a church, I believe we have to try to meet the needs because these are our kids," he said. "They are our future."

Joan Ryan Lamar is the Communications Manager of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston.